Ben White has come a long way since he last went head to head with Harry Kane and Tottenham.

The Albion defender helped Newport County go all the way to Wembley in the FA Cup after being drawn at home to Spurs.

Admittedly Wembley was Tottenham’s home ground back then.

But it was still a great effort to force a 1-1 home draw and take the Premier League giants back to their (adopted) place for an unwanted replay.

It was also just part of the rich and varied experiences he has enjoyed since a few well-timed conversations as he was being released by Southampton’s academy helped Albion secure one of their hottest properties.

There have been loans in three divisions, games in the EFL or Checkatrade Trophy and trips with Chris Hughton’s senior squad who were on course to promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds last season was, he recognises, essentially a preview to life in the Premier League.

A season with fourth-tier Newport in 2017-18 was a long way from that.

But it brought him his brush with Kane, Son, Dembele and company in the fourth round of the FA Cup after Leeds had been seen off at the previous stage.

Kane scored late to force a 1-1 draw and take Newport to Wembley, where Spurs won 2-0.

“It was good, tough. We defended the whole game,” White recalls now.

“Hopefully it’s not going to be like that this time!

“It’s probably going to be a different experience.

“In the first game, I marked Harry Kane and it was (Fernando) Llorente in the second.

“It was tough when we played them at Rodney Parade.

“It was a game that more came into our hands with the pitch.

“It’s not a nice place to go! Then we went off to Wembley.

“I went to Newport and played 52 games and got loads of experience of professional games, playing week in and week out.

“I was playing with players who were fighting for every point and every win bonus.

“It’s a different way of wanting to win.”

White had spent the previous season with the Seagulls and was on the bench at the very start.

That was at a time before Shane Duffy signed from Blackburn when Bruno was being used as a stand-in centre-back.

The Argus:

Ben White warms up with Bruno and Gaetan Bong ahead of the season-opening 0-0 draw at Derby in 2016

Loan stint No.2 came in the second half of 2018-19, after the under-21s had been knocked out of the Trophy.

He said: “I went to Peterborough, which wasn’t as beneficial, I don’t think. It wasn’t the best loan I’ve had.

“But it was another experience playing in a better league. Different players, different manager. It was an experience. Then to Leeds.”

Newport was when the talk started of what White could become as boss Michael Flynn tipped him for England.

White said: “He was a really nice gaffer and we still talk. Just little things, ‘Good luck’ and ‘Well played’, things like that.

“At Newport it was like that with most of the players. I still keep in contact.

“I went to Peterborough and had Steve Evans, which was an experience.

“It’s just playing games, that was the point of the loans.”

The making of White also included those matches in the often-maligned Trophy.

As a group of raw but talented youngsters, players such as White, Viktor Gyokeres, Leo Ostigard and Aaron Connolly took on battle-hardened pros from the lower divisions.

They showed their skills to come from 2-0 down and draw at route-one Peterborough, then beat MK Dons.

White said: “I think those games are halfway there to playing a professional game. You’re playing against teams who are going to boot it up the pitch and you are going to have to compete in the air.

“I think that has definitely helped me through what I’ve done on the last couple of seasons.”

Leeds? That, arguably, was the finishing school for White the Prem player.

It started with a high class showing at Bristol City which set the tone for a season which met all targets but possibly exceeded expectations.

He said: “Leeds are a Premier League side who were in the Championship.

“I think the expectation for any player who was playing for Leeds was they should be in the Premier League.

“It was unbelievable every game. Packed, so loud. It was really good.”

There is talk among Leeds watchers of him playing out calmly when he got the ball near his own goal early in his debut. Setting the tone.

White does not recall that particular move but said: “It was difficult. The weeks before, I think I only played one game with the team.

“Then I was put into that game because there was no one else really to play.

“It was my chance to do something and try and get my name on the team sheet next week.”

READ MORE: Where Potter sees long-term future for White

White has noticed the step up to the top tier but it has clearly been manageable.

In theory, he might have taken that step with Southampton. In practice, he was not surprised to be let go when he was 16 and, it sounds, not overly worried about it.

“I think there were a couple of people saying it was them,” he said when asked who took credit for securing his services for the Seagulls.

“I think my mum spoke to somebody on a game day when I was on the bench for Southampton.

“I think there was loads of scouts there and someone said to her they would give me a trial if I got let go.

“I thought I probably wouldn’t get one (a deal at Southampton). There were better players than me back then who were getting contracts.

“When I was released, I probably knew it was happening.

“But the next day the phones didn’t stop ringing.

“I didn’t have many other offers but Brighton wanted me so badly.

“I wanted to play for someone who wanted me.”